Wizards host Cavs at MCI Center

On Wednesday, Gilbert Arenas poured in 45 points and Caron Butler netted a season-best 34 to lead Washington to a 129-124 victory over Golden State.

Butler added a game-high 15 rebounds in one of his best performances since joining the Wizards in an offseason trade, and Washington climbed over .500 for the first time since November 19 with its fifth win in six outings.

Arenas made an impressive 23-of-25 free throw attempts and the Wizards ended 48-of-55 from the charity stripe to post their highest point total since scoring 137 against the Sacramento Kings back on November 11.

Since joining the starting lineup back on December 21, Butler has averaged 17.7 points and 6.1 rebounds and the Wizards have recorded a 15-9 mark in that span.

Washington, which will close this stand against Philadelphia on Sunday, is 16-9 in its arena this season. The Wizards have also won five straight home games and eight in a row at the MCI Center against Eastern Conference opponents.

Cleveland, meanwhile, comes in on a winning note after LeBron James narrowly missed a triple- double with 35 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists, as the Cavaliers rallied from a 15-point deficit for a 97-91 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday at the Target Center.

James ended just 11-of-34 from the field. This marked the second straight game that James barely missed a triple-double. He had 22 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds in a win over Milwaukee on Monday.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas ended with 21 points for the Cavaliers, who have won back- to-back contests and nine of their last 11.

Cleveland, which will start a two-game homestand after tonight’s affair, has won five of six on the road and is 11-13 away from home this season.

The Cavs defeated the Wiz earlier in the season, but has dropped three of five and four of the last seven meetings. Cleveland, though, has lost five of six and seven of its last nine in Washington.